Samyak Drishti Magazine for Photographers in India & World

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Pandemic
Home Photo
Series

Pandemic has been a trauma every one faced in their lives, some had to succumb to life whereas some had to face the livelihood problem itself. The political class generated many promises and expectations. The ghettoized narrative has remained a perennial problem. Instead of facing the real situation, some preferred to choose their own understanding based on political allegiance. Shared aspirations of making the nation a great nation is tormented by necked inhumanness among many. Everyone rushed to save their own close and dear one. Pandemic was a trauma of facing the danger of extinction, wiping out the population, inflicting the value judgments based on the mythic rather than on the danger of extinction. Photographs are evidence of records of the traumatic recent past and they often unfold the stories that are very painful and make many of our moments of life unstoppable memories of shared past. Technology became handy, some went on to shoot with a mobile camera, looking to photograph the images that will remain a part of the story. More than the personalized experience of being in the frame, it is more like carrying the frame as an archival process to ensure that memory of moment does not shade away from the haunting situation all faced during the days. Interior space became the space of congregation, confinements with our dear ones, but those who remained without shelter could never experience the interior closeness of space. Collective living, sharing the joy of food, playing together during the lockdowns and curfews, turned into the events of caged living. Confinements within the shorter spaces and those who went on moving in the open space, walking all the time with their family became an exclusive tale of their own narrative where very few dared to come to feed people and provide some means to survive on.

Home being interior space, never before did the earning males spend time with their children before. For small kids it was a happy moment to see their parents all the time all around, expressing the joy of happiness. For a mother and father, it was a quest to keep away everyone from the infection of the disease. Laptop and learning through online mode turned into a new way of living. All struggled to get used to technology and while being in interior space, lust for open spaces increased to breath freshness of the air. Many images are aspirational to constantly remind us to forget those moments of tension and hate.

Prof. Y. S. Alone, School of Arts & Aesthetics
Jawaharlal Nehru University

Santosh Kulkarni

Ever since the lockdown began, our lives took a turn in a manner that none of us could have ever imagined, though, we are thankful that we were confined to safety of our home.

To me it presented an opportunity to capture the moments of my son within the confines of our home and I choose to do in black and white.

My son is not the one for posing, which was a blessing in disguise, and I was drawn to moments that made me feel a connection with me. It’s often what led me to pursue photography in the first place. One of the reasons why I love this art form so much, is how it connects us to the world around us and brings our experiences to life, places it into a larger context.

My plan was to capture the moments as they happen, without any intervention and instructions to anyone. The most important story is the one in present moment without any direction. My son would never be still, would crawl into every nook and corner of the house, playing with anything that comes his way.

Turning my lens towards home and my son allowed me to capture not only what he looks like, but also what he feels, and sharing a moment in time.

Santosh Padme

Series – Online Classes

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Palani Kumar

A series of Pandemic life on the streets by Palani’s students

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Marilyn

A glimpse of private spaces and lives during a global pandemic

When the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic on March 11, 2020, forthwith, countries of the world implemented unprecedented restrictions on their populations to slow down the spread of the deadly virus. And, before anyone could comprehend the impacts, life as we knew it, changed. The pandemic dramatically altered the way we live, leading to a more virtual existence in our work and interactions.

As face masks, gloves, and sanitizers top the list as essential commodities and social distancing become the need of the hour, we settle into what seems to be our new normal. With strict restrictions imposed across states, people sigh a sense of desperation and sorrow as they deal with illness, stress, and loss while being quarantined. Being a journalist, I am carrying out small experiments to uncover stories of people trying to adapt to the strangeness of this time. The way they battle conflicting emotions while going about doing ordinary activities amidst this global crisis.

The pictures I submitted for the photo essay were shot on my iPhone (as the camera quality is standard in this phone) over the past year in various instances. Given the pandemic-induced constraints, on occasions when people queued up for Covid-19 vaccine doses, others violated covid protocol during elections; I had to photograph them in a socially distanced way. However, I was within confines, capturing heartfelt moments of family members, celebrating virtual birthdays, departure greetings at the airport, and sharing a few happy last moments in a hospital.

These pictures convey grief, ignorance, boredom, uncertainty, but also joy and hope, as people try to find solace in these distressing times.

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